An unidentified Bears practice squad player has tested positive for COVID-19, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Fortunately, Chicago does have some time on their side. After beating the Buccaneers on Thursday night, the Bears won’t play again until next Sunday at Carolina. Schefter notes that the team facilities have been closed since Thursday night.
Mark Maske of The Washington Post tweets that while contact tracing is ongoing throughout the Bears organization, there are “no further issues expected at this point in terms of effect on games.”
More notes below:
- In the same tweet, Schefter adds that a Chiefs strength and conditioning coach has tested positive. Kansas City hosted the Patriots on Monday night, and we later learned that New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore had tested positive for COVID-19. Fortunately, tests for Chiefs players have reportedly come back negative all week.
- We learned last night that the “presumptive positive” test result for a Jets player was proven to be a false positive. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets that the organization was confident that “protocols have been followed.” Similarly, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano tweets that the team did another full round of PCR testing among some players and staff “just to be safe.”
- The Patriots (along with the Titans) returned to their practice facility today, but New England was still without two key players. Neither Cam Newton nor Gilmore were on the practice field this morning, according to Schefter (via Twitter). As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com detailed this morning, there’s a path to both Newton and Gilmore playing Monday against the Broncos, although it’s unlikely that at least the cornerback misses the contest. Both players are currently sitting on the reserve/COVID-19 list.